Embrace of the Ancients
by EternalSunrise
Summary: Saved by Eric during a Vampire Summit, Annabelle finds herself thrown into his world. Unbeknownst even to her, a deep family secret soon comes to light and everything she thought she knew about herself turns out to be false. Hunted by humans who want to kill her and by the Authority who want to exploit her, Annabelle must fight for her freedom and for the lives of those she loves.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Eric what are you doing?" Bill's deep southern voice hissed through the darkness. He and Eric were taking shelter from the imposing danger. The ancient vampire looked up and found Bill easily through the darkness.  
"Isn't it obvious?" Eric said, his southern accent marred by a slight Nordic intonation. When Bill raised an eyebrow, Eric sighed. "I'm _saving _her! I thought you were supposed to be the good vampire and me the morally grey one?"

"You're going to make her? How on Earth do you intend to go to ground with her when we can't get out of here?" Bill said exasperation heavy in his voice at Eric's penchant for a pretty face.  
"No. I'm not going to turn her. I'm merely giving her my blood so she can heal from her wounds. She wouldn't have been shot if it weren't for us. Besides, if it were Sookie what would you do then?" Eric asked, knowing the mention of both their former lovers would trigger an insanely protective impulse within Bill.

Bill sighed once again. That seemed all he was capable of this night. It had taken such a drastic turn from being a pleasant gathering of vampires and their humans to a bloodbath where both immortal and mortal had perished. Eric and Bill had gone to the party at the request of the One True Vampire Authority as they were trying to uncover a sect of sanguinistas within the state of Tennessee.

It was about an hour into the party when things started to go awry. It had started with a knock at the door and before anyone knew what was happening; explosives were being thrown through the window and the house was being barraged with wooden bullets.

The young woman whom Eric was healing had gotten hit instead of him. She had shoved him as hard as a human could and although Eric didn't fall or move too far, he had moved just enough for the bullet that would have ripped into his heart and turned him into nothing more than a pile of entrails to hit the girl at her neckline. The bullet had missed any fatal areas but she collapsed heavily with an inability to breathe.

Eric and Bill had quickly found each other and as vampire and human alike fell to the floor lifeless, they sped as fast as they could towards the safest area – the basement. Eric had picked the girl up and brought her along as he felt like he owed her a debt.

Eric moaned gently and that snapped Bill out of his reverie and into the present. He shifted positions uncomfortably and listened as the girls heartbeat grew steadier. Eventually, Eric came to crouch near Bill and watch as the woman sat up gingerly and looked about.

"Hello" Bill said quietly so as not to alert anyone to their presence. It was very nearly daybreak so they had had to take shelter in the darkest corner of the basement and hope that no human or whatever had attacked the house thought to come looking for them.

"Hi" The girl replied with the same volume. She had obviously caught on to the situation and was doing her best to help.

"Thank you for saving me." Eric said curtly, he didn't like being indebted to anyone and he especially didn't like the idea of giving his blood to random humans. He was over a thousand years old and that meant that his blood was by far stronger than any in his district. He was almost ten times older than Bill and with his age, his blood carried special properties. It was a privilege and not something he shared lightly. Of course, he had been glad when Sookie had drunk his blood when he had taken several silver bullets at another gathering. Eric almost laughed at the parallels between the two nights, but remembering the situation they were in and thinking of Sookie back in Bon Temps possibly with Alcide stopped him.

"We need a plan." Bill said to Eric. The girl scooted towards them both as quietly as she could and leaned against the wall.  
"It's nearly daylight, see if you can find something to climb into or cover yourselves with so that you can rest during the day. I'll stand watch and keep an eye on the situation here and I promise I won't give away your position."

Eric immediately stood up and began ferreting around the basement for a decent cover but Bill remained still. "I'll try to stay awake during the day. You've been through enough already and if someone does come down here looking for a vampire, you won't be able to defend us adequately. I mean no offense." He added hastily as the girls expression darkened.

"I think you underestimate me. I wouldn't have come to this party if I didn't think I could handle myself and besides, your friend would've been goo if it weren't for me. Oh, and saying no offense doesn't make it any less offensive!" The girl hissed before calming down and adding, "Besides, you're going to need to be at full strength come nightfall. I suspect you've not fed in a while and there's no _way _you're feeding from me. I'll keep you safe. I know that it's novel for a human to be offering a vampire protection, but I promise you, I'll keep you safe."

Eric threw a thick blanket at Bill and nodded towards the girl. "Thank you" he said again before lying down and covering himself fully.

"I should thank you too. I'd be dead without your blood. It's a debt I won't soon forget." The woman said, obviously as uncomfortable with the idea of owing someone as Eric was. "Oh, what are your names?" She added as a second thought.

"Bill" Bill said, suddenly exhausted. The sun was now above the horizon and the weariness hit him like a truck. There was no way he'd be able to stay awake for the whole day and almost in the same thought, he fell into the deep sleep that awaits all vampires during the sunlit hours.

"My name is Eric." Eric said barely above a whisper, he too was feeling the pull of sleep but was able to resist it a little better than his younger friend.

"It's nice to meet you both, my name is Annabelle, but you can call me Annie. Rest now, I'll see you at nightfall." Annie said with a gentle smile etched on her face. She was not looking forward to the idea of spending the entire day in a basement looking after two vampires. It wasn't how she had pictured this night would end at all.

She had anticipated some trouble, maybe a drunken brawl between the humans or a vampire display of dominance but nothing like what had happened.

Annie inhaled deeply and held it there for a few seconds before slowly releasing it. She rummaged around the nearest couple of boxes and found a very old copy of a mystery novel. She sighed before settling down with some of Eric's covering and opened the first page.

She knew the vampires would be dead to the world for the next few hours and she felt herself begin to relax as she tried to lose herself within the text.


	2. Chapter 2

Eric's deep slumber was disturbed by dreams. He dreamt of Pam, his only child. She had travelled the world with him and had been ever-loyal and trustworthy. Eric loved Pam in the way that a father loved his only daughter. He dreamt of their past, their stay in London during the early sixties where they had been drawn to the growing hippy movement, their voyage to Sweden and Pam's amazement at being shown the wonders that the world offered. Most prominently, Eric dreamt of Pam's rebirth.

"_Turn me or watch me die." _Pam had said over a hundred years ago after cutting her wrists in front of Eric. Something within him stirred and he made her. He often dreamt of this memory and he had been grateful everyday that he'd made the right choice. Perhaps Annie's pleading eyes after she had been shot subconsciously reminded him of Pam. The way she had looked at him as her blood flowed from her veins.

Eric woke slowly from his dreams and breathed deeply. The first thing that hit him was blood. He shot up and ripped off his covers, his fangs fully protruded. He was abruptly surprised to see a man tied up, gagged and bloody and Annie sat with her back ramrod straight and all her concentration aimed at the man.

Annie turned her head slightly and nodded at Eric in greeting. "This man came down around midday, figuring that any vamps hiding would be at their most vulnerable. Safe to say, he didn't anticipate me. He was there last night, but ran away when the vamps started to retaliate. I guess he wanted to check out the scene. He's alone." She explained with a ghost of a smile faint on her lips. Eric could see that she had a small bruise by her left temple and he deduced that there had been a scuffle and Annie had come out on top.

Bill sat up and blinked the sleep from his eyes. He took in the scene and rapidly came to the same conclusion as Eric.

"It appears I owe you an apology." Bill said humbly as he saw the arsenal of weapons that had been disarmed from the man. There were silver chains, guns loaded with wooden bullets and a silver core, knives and amusingly, a cross. Bill picked up the wooden item and smirked. "These don't work against us," he said before snapping it easily in his hand.

The man scoffed and narrowed his eyes. Annie knew that he was as good as dead. There was no way two hungry vampires would let a bleeding man who had tried to kill them escape. Annie stood up and stretched her legs.

"I can imagine you both are rather hungry right now…I'll leave you to it." She gestured towards the man whose face paled dramatically. He knew he was doomed. Bill and Eric both stood to let Annie leave and as she walked up the stairs from the basement Eric could feel her conflicting emotions. Part of her wanted to try to save him; she had an innate desire to protect all life. But a stronger part of her knew that Bill and he needed their strength and that if the man were released he would certainly try again to kill them and maybe succeed.

Eric closed his eyes and tried to dim the feelings. He eventually succeeded and made a gesture towards Bill, inviting him to have the first taste. He was, after all, Eric's King.

Around ten minutes later Annie heard footsteps behind her. She turned around in the large kitchen and saw Eric leaning casually against the door frame and Bill stood still but alert. Annie finished the mouthful of food that she had managed to salvage from the mess and waited for someone to make a move.

"We should be getting back now; we have people and businesses to attend to," Bill said with a gentlemanly bob of his head. "Thank you again for helping us today, if we happen to meet again know that it will be as friends."

With that very old-fashioned goodbye Bill ran out of the house in a blur, leaving Annie and Eric. Eric stood and smiled. "We do appreciate your help. If you should need any help in the future, call me." Eric handed her a business card with the address and phone number of Fangtasia on it. "You've had my blood, so we are connected. Come by my bar some time when you are free. Drinks on the house."

And with that, he too sped from the building following Bill back to their territory, leaving Annie slightly stunned and in their wake.

Annie sighed deeply and walked to the door. She looked over the card Eric had given her and tried to suppress a smile. _What an interesting turn of events _she thought to herself pleasantly. She had gone to the small vampire gathering with the intention of overhearing something about her sister. Annie's sister had gone missing a couple of months ago, and Annie knew it was a Sanguinista sympathiser or believer that had abducted her. The movement had been gathering strength and momentum for a while now and Izzy, Annie's younger sister had gotten involved with the wrong crowd.

Annie's family had always had close connections to the supernatural world. Annie had been around vampires for most of her life, as well as werewolves and shifters and every other supernatural creature that the human world still didn't know existed.

Annie found her jacket still hanging on the holder and pulled it on. She was grateful it had survived the onslaught as it was her favourite. A birthday present from Izzy the last time she had been seen. Annie had worn it to remind her of why she was doing it all.

Re-reading the card for the last time, she committed the address to memory. _Shreveport. _Annie took a deep breath and headed out into the night. She was bone-tired from the day's events and she hadn't slept a wink. Turning back to look at the house that was now partially in-ruin, she sighed. The police had never shown up. They didn't want their hands dirtied with such vampire problems. They either didn't care that vampires and 'fang-bangers' had died or they were too frightened to get into a turf war in this once peaceful county.

Annie reached into the hidden pocket of her coat and extracted her car keys and her cell phone. Turning it back on, she quickly checked her messages and when there was nothing important, she sent a brief text to her parents explaining what had happened and that she was following a lead. She left out information about her possible lead being very tall and very blonde.

She threw her phone onto the passenger seat and climbed into her car. Revving the engine, she shut the door and expertly pulled out onto the road. She fought her fatigue as she began her long journey, promising herself that she would pull into the nearest hotel for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The hotel had turned out to be a rather dingy looking motel but Annie was too beyond tired to care. She had been driving for over an hour and it was the first resting place she had seen. She pulled slowly into the car park and relaxed a little when she saw there were a couple of cars already parked. The last thing she wanted was to be the only guest at a creepy motel that would be a perfect setting for a horror movie.

Annie chuckled to herself as she got out the car and fished for her credit card, picturing axe-murderers or maniacs trying to chase her through the motel. She was a tough girl and could take care of herself.

The door to the reception opened with a very audible creak and a little bell above it jangled. A man in his late forties looked up disinterestedly from his novel; his glasses perched on the end of his nose. His eyes brightened just a little when he caught sight of Annie. With long naturally wavy brown hair down to her waist and warm chocolate eyes, accompanied by a cute button nose and full, pouty lips, Annie was attractive.

"Evenin' ma'am," The man said, sitting up straight and putting aside his reading material. "Room for one, or are you expecting…uh…_company_?" he continued, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Annie realised that he was asking if she was here to hook up with someone. Suppressing a smile, she replied, "Room for one please, just for the night."

She saw the middle-aged man's face soften slightly and Annie thought he looked almost relieved that she was staying alone. "We get a lot of people here looking to get away from the cities for some…private time. A lot of people come here to meet, uh, _vampires_," he looked nervously at Annie as he said this.

"Well, don't you worry, I'm as human as they come, and I have no intention of taking up with a vampire," Annie told him reassuringly and she flashed him her most innocent smile. He bought it hook line and sinker and immediately jumped to his feet.

"I'll show you to your room now, if that's okay?" He asked eager to be helpful. "No baggage? Are you just passing through here?" he said trying to make conversation.

"Yeah, I was in Tennessee for business but that's cleared up now, so I'm heading on to Louisiana." She replied feeling happy for some simple company.

The receptionist walked down a corridor before arriving at a room. He placed the key into the slightly rusting hole and twisted it firmly. Begrudgingly, the door unlocked and swung open. Annie peered in and was pleased to see it wasn't as gross as she had been imagining. The décor was simple creams and light browns including bedspreads, curtains and carpets. There was another room leading off the little service kitchen that Annie assumed and hoped would be a bathroom with a shower. She was starting to feel a little ripe.

"Thanks for everything, this room will do great," Annie said, with a tone in her voice that implied she wanted to be left alone now. The man smiled at her and nodded his appreciation but instead of leaving the room, he pushed the door closed and bolted it.

Annie's scalp prickled. Things had just gone from a pleasant shower and long sleep to a potentially deadly situation. "What are you doing?" Annie said her voice full of confidence and authority.

"Like I said," the man replied before turning round. "We get a lot of vampires here!" His open mouth displayed two very sharp fangs and he extended his arms and rushed for Annie.

Annie didn't have time to react before he was upon her. The force of his tackle took them both further into the room and Annie stumbled on her feet and fell to the floor, taking the vampire with him. Her hands clawed at his face as his fangs edged nearer to her neck.

She grunted as she tried to buck him off. The struggle only seemed to entice the vampire more and soon enough she felt the sharp stabbing pain that told her his fangs had penetrated her skin.

"_No!" _She cried out as her hands dug deeper into his face. Her fingers found his eye sockets and without hesitation she gouged his eyes out. The sudden and vicious attack caused the vampire to stop his feeding and pull back. She took the opportunity and managed to shimmy out from under him.

"You won't escape me!" he yelled, holding one hand against his damaged eyes and the other frantically grasping the air in front of him. "I'll have healed in a moment and you my dear will be dead! I must say, you taste a lot better than the motel owner."

_So he's posing as the owner to grab a quick snack! _Annie thought, trying to stem the blood. She knew she had just a few more seconds before the vampire had recovered. She made a dash for the coffee table with the hopes of smashing it and making a stake, unfortunately the vampire had healed and was on her once again.

He was enraged and even hungrier than before. He wasted no time in plunging his fangs into her neck and draining the life from her. The coffee table had smashed in his latest attack and Annie fumbled for a piece of wood long enough to pierce the heart.

She grabbed the first piece she could and lifted it before stabbing the vampire in his back. He was too engrossed in his dinner to notice what was happening and then it was too late. Letting out a strangled cry he began to concave in front of Annie's eyes. Once again she pushed him off just before he exploded, covering her in more blood.

"Fucking fanger" she said with exhausted fury. She dipped her finger into the pool of blood and entrails then wiped it across her neck. She knew her injury would soon heal and no one would know she'd been attacked. Pushing herself off the floor, she felt a little burst of energy. She must've ingested more vampire blood than she had anticipated and that allowed her to move into the bathroom.

Her mind flicked to Eric, who had said that they were connected because she drank his blood. She was angry with him too, she decided, for not coming to help her. Realistically she knew he was too far away to help her but she was still pissed.

Annie climbed into the shower that she had been longing for and methodically washed away the traces of the night. Once she was refreshed and dressed once again she walked past the pile of vampire gunk and left the motel.

She had decided not to stay, but to carry on towards Louisiana. Once more she clambered into the car and started the engine. Turning out of the car park, Annie continued on her journey, more than glad to be leaving the motel behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

As the road wore on and Annie crossed more than a couple of state borders she was finally relieved to be heading into Louisiana. She had lost count of the amount of hours that she had spent travelling but somehow, she had managed to stay awake.

The surge of vampire blood within her system had undoubtedly helped her in this feat, as well as the adrenaline from fighting the imposter vampire. She grimaced when she thought of the encounter. She hadn't had many pleasant experiences recently, she thought glumly to herself. Her sister had been kidnapped and the odds of her being either dead, a vampire or locked away in a human blood factory were very high.

Annie pushed the thought to the back of her mind. For weeks she had been without a plan and without even a hint of a trail but after she had managed to charm her way into a vampire escorting her to a party, she had finally gotten a trail. Well…she hoped she had.

Her mind flicked to Eric, tall, blonde and beyond sexy in a murderous Viking way, and to Bill, who was more cool and reserved but deadly nonetheless. After Eric had saved her by giving her his blood, she had felt a desire to go and see him again. She even daydreamed about him and much to her almost surprise, they were nearly all sexual. Annie knew it was a side effect of ingesting his blood but she had never experienced firsthand.

The sun had once more set and was on the verge of rising again. She sighed deeply as she fought the heaviness that was sweeping over her. Hastily she fiddled about with her stereo trying to find something to keep her mind away from sleep. A bright light swamped her windshield and her head snapped up.

It was too late.

The oncoming car was in the wrong lane and ploughed headfirst into Annie's car. She felt the vehicle flip over several times before grinding loudly to a stop. The windows had all shattered and Annie was covered in glass. She could feel blood trickling down her face and the wind was knocked completely out of her. She gasped as she tried to regain her breathing.

It had taken Annie a few minutes to realise that she was upside-down. She could smell gas and knew that she was in very, very deep trouble. She was definitely not having the best streak of luck.

She tried to undo her seatbelt to release herself but as she moved, a pained sharp moan escaped her lips. Her arm was broken.

"Hello?" She called out hoarsely, hoping that someone was around to help her. No one came. Annie cursed under her breath and tried once again to free herself. She was getting hotter.

A fire had started nearby; Annie assumed it was the other car as she could hear the man calling out in pain. This was the worst possible scenario Annie could ever have imagined. _Oh God _Annie felt the dread wash over her, wave after wave and she did everything in her power to make sure she resisted succumbing to it.

There was only one thing Annie could think to do. _Eric! _She thought furiously, _Eric! Please help me! Please, somebody hear me! ERIC! _

The effort wiped her out and she felt her vision begin to fog.

She must've passed out briefly from the pain because when she came to, she felt a cool hard hand pressed delicately against her forehead. She tried to speak but the hand pressed against her mouth and she heard a 'shush' sound. Annie tried to open her eyes and was surprised by the amount of effort it took. She was bone-tired and world-weary.

Annie passed out once again and was startled when she awoke to a wrist pressed against her mouth. After a second of confusion she parted her lips and willingly let the blood flow in to her. She moaned as the familiar taste of Eric washed into her. She opened her eyes when she felt her wounds healing.

"You have ingested a great deal of my blood recently. It is unwise to drink anymore." The familiar voice told her simply. "I feel like you're getting the better part of this deal."

Annie smiled at the man who had saved her life more than once. Tentatively she inclined her head towards him, offering the dried patches of blood to him in a way that she knew was courteous.

He wrinkled his nose slightly as he sniffed her.

"No offense, but you don't really smell that appetising…" His mind flicked briefly to Sookie whose blood was like nothing in this world.

Annie scoffed and replied tartly, "You're refusing a free meal? You're the first vampire I've ever willingly offered my blood too. If it's not up to your standards then you can starve!" She made to stand up and pulled herself off the ground.

She could hear Eric stifle a laugh and in one swift movement he reached up and grabbed her hand and tugged gently. Annie fell backwards and into Eric's lap.

"How can I resist when you ask so sweetly?" Eric said with a playful smile.

Annie closed her eyes as she rested against his chest and Eric gently began to lick at the dried blood smeared on her face. After a couple of mouthfuls Eric's grip upon Annie tightened.

"Oh my…" Eric moaned before switching into his native language. "You…taste…like…heaven!" he called out before his fangs fully protruded and his hold on Annie became iron-like.

"Eric!" Annie called out, "No biting! Stop!"

Eric growled at her, completely lost within his bloodlust. "I will have you!" he demanded before sinking his fangs into Annie's neck. Annie screamed with pure terror as she realised she would be dead before she had any chance at fighting back.

"Eric, you'll kill me!" she tried to reason. "Eric…"

"ERIC! STOP!" with this powerful exclamation a brilliant light exploded from within Annie. She felt it flood her entire being and charge out of every pore. Even her eyes glowed with a fantastic luminosity that was painful to look at.

Eric was sent hurtling back as the light buffeted him. As soon as it hit his skin he was snapped out of his frenzied attack. The light blast ended as quickly as it had been triggered and when it stopped Annie felt her energy ebb out of her. She crumbled to the floor, once more exhausted. She looked for Eric and saw to her relief that he was sat up with a stunned expression but was otherwise unharmed.

Annie didn't know what to say. She had no idea what just happened or _how _it had happened. It was the first time she had ever experienced something like that.

Eric stood up and shook himself down. He cautiously stepped towards Annie and extended a hand which she took graciously.

Annie fearfully met his eyes and expected to see anger but instead saw only curiosity.

"That was…" Eric was lost for words. "_What are you?"_


End file.
